Ships gathered around the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS America got underway from San Diego to start their final certification exercise (CERTEX) on May 31. The amphibious ready group (ARG), composed of amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) and the amphibious dock landing sh
The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded approximately 1,100 kilograms of cocaine in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday. Worth an estimated $32.5 million dollars wholesale, the cocaine was seized in a May 25 interdiction in waters off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. According to U.S. Coast Guard, three suspe
U.S. Navy’s San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20) departed its forward-deployed base of Sasebo, Japan on June 2, becoming the final ship in the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group to set sail on a routine deployment in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. The amphibious ships, tog
After concluding amphibious drills with U.S. Marines off Guam recently, French Navy ships FS Mistral and FS Courbet trained with Australian and Spanish Navy ships in Australian waters. The French ships engaged Australian ships Success and Parramatta and the Spanish Navy’s Cristobal Colon in waters t
In the second attack on commercial vessels in just two days, pirates attempted to hijack oil tanker MT NAVIG8 Providence in the Arabian Sea on June 1. The incident, confirmed by EU NAVFOR, took place in the Gulf of Oman as the MT NAVIG8 Providence was sailing 100 nautical miles east of Muscat. Accor
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) departed her forward-deployed base of Sasebo, Japan, on June 1 to start her scheduled patrol in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Bonhomme Richard and the Okinawa-based Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are scheduled for
The last of the U.S. Navy’s E-2C Hawkeyes forward-deployed to Japan departed Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi on June 1, marking the end of 44 years of service in Japan. The aircraft from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 115 “Liberty Bells” are one of the Navy’s longest-serving forward d
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Diligence returned from a Caribbean Sea patrol after seizing $2.2 million worth of marijuana and some 375 kilograms of suspected cocaine. USCGC Diligence returned to Wilmington on Wednesday after spending 65 days on patrol. The cutter’s crew was deployed in support of Joint I
Three men in a skiff approached a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the southern Bab-el-Mandeb strait and opened fire on it on May 31, EU NAVFOR has confirmed. The vessel’s master reported that the attackers fired three rocket-propelled grenades, before breaking off the attack. The onboard arme
Personnel from the Japan Self Defense Force and the U.S. military comprising 34 different commands across ground, maritime, and air services met for bilateral amphibious and mine warfare discussions, May 22-24. The staff talks were hosted by Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s Mine Warfare Command,
After three months of operations, personnel from this year’s Pacific Partnership mission returned to Singapore USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4) on May 31. Their return marked the conclusion of this year’s mission. Fall River departed Singapore on March 4 and served as the command platform for the Pacific P
The government of Canada has extended the country’s contribution to international maritime security operations in the Middle East and East Africa under operation Artemis. Announced by defence minister Harjit S. Sajjan and parliamentary secretary Jean Rioux, operation Artemis authorizes the Canadian
U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Commands (NAVMETOCCOM) spent the last several months preparing for an operational demonstration of unmanned systems which is taking place in the Gulf of Mexico between May 31 and June 1. Operations and observations collected during the demonstration will be in
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) returned to its forward-deployed base at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, on May 28. Stethem departed Yokosuka in January to begin its 2017 patrol in the Western Pacific. “Over the past four months, our operations provide
